Kosmo Kint on New York, Berlin, and the art of collaboration

Kosmo Kint brings together the grit and soul of his native New York with the free-spirited energy of Berlin’s house scene. Born to Trinidadian parents and raised in Brooklyn, he grew up surrounded by rhythm and performance, later attending New York’s Professional Performing Arts School and studying opera at Boston’s New England Conservatory. Photo credit:…

Kosmo Kint brings together the grit and soul of his native New York with the free-spirited energy of Berlin’s house scene. Born to Trinidadian parents and raised in Brooklyn, he grew up surrounded by rhythm and performance, later attending New York’s Professional Performing Arts School and studying opera at Boston’s New England Conservatory.

Photo credit: Kosmo Kint – Facebook

His path has since moved through roles as vocalist, songwriter, live performer, and collaborator. Along the way, he has worked with artists and producers including Prospa, David Morales, Jerome Sydenham, Atjazz, Andres, COEO, Kai Alcé, and NIGHT manoeuvres , while developing a sound that connects house and disco with R&B, soul, and hip hop.

In this conversation, Kosmo Kint discusses his New York and Berlin roots, songwriting, collaboration, live performance, and the next phase of his career.

EG: Hi Kosmo Kint, welcome to Electronic Groove. It's a pleasure to have you with us. How have you been lately, and what has been occupying most of your time and creative energy these days?

Kosmo Kint: It’s my pleasure to be here. EG is such a pivotal part of dance music journalism; it makes me feel like I’m doing something right (laughter). My energy and time go into singing and songwriting for all the dope artists, as well as trying to find inspiration for my own sound.

EG: You've become one of the most recognisable voices and collaborators in contemporary dance music. How would you describe the Kosmo Kint project today, and what originally inspired you to carve out this unique path between vocalist, songwriter, performer, and DJ?

Kosmo Kint: Thanks for saying that. I’m moving so fast at times; I didn’t even know (laughter). Inspiration? Well, it’s a mixture of culture, a sense of calling, and an ongoing duel with myself to become better and better. Then, lastly, who are we kidding? Wanting to have the most hits and money doing the thing I’ve loved since day one. Wait, I’ll add one more thing: I like when people are proud of me. I think, having busy divorced parents, I was always trying to appease them somehow. That’s stuck a bit with my personality.

EG: Born in New York and now based in Berlin, you've experienced two of the world's most influential music cities. How have those environments shaped your artistic identity and creative approach?

Kosmo Kint: Funnily, I can say New York was Burning Man and Berlin was Berghain . If you know the attributes of each, you can apply them to my experiences in culture and life growing up. But really, from being a kid attending the Professional Performing Arts School just off Times Square every day, that school had me singing backup with Elton John, Alicia Keys , and lots of other notables, as well as studying classical music. Then I would go home to a Trinidadian household where rhythm and percussion of calypso were non-stop (especially as my grandfather was one of the pioneers of the steel pan), within a warm Hasidic neighborhood in Brooklyn. Funny enough, my street means song with a different spelling: Carroll Street. Yeah, New York laid the foundation without a doubt. Berlin took the foundation and added spikes: all black, hard 4/4, and some ripped shirts to the equation. Berlin also allowed me to give more zero f’s. Love that place, a metropolis of FREEDOMS.

EG: Your collaborations often feel deeply woven into the records themselves rather than simply adding vocals on top. What do you look for in a collaboration, and how do you make sure your contribution becomes part of a track's DNA?

Kosmo Kint: Thank you for noticing. I think my ADHD-spectrum way of writing music might sound crazy, but I feel like the keys and sounds invite the topic or mood, then the keys and chords welcome the phrasing with the wording, and I just follow it. I also turn down a lot of songs if I don’t feel them.

"I feel like the rush of nerves and anxiety is really a tool; it’s a wave you can’t get anywhere else"

EG: ‘Love Songs’ and ‘Body Heat’ with Prospa connected with audiences on a massive scale, with ‘Love Songs’ surpassing 25 million Spotify streams. What made those records special, and what did you learn from seeing them resonate so widely?

Kosmo Kint: What made it special was just having so much fun with the boys naturally; that allowed a layer of trust to play around and be free from the first day. When that happens in my collabs, the potential is endless.

EG: Beyond your own releases, you've written for acclaimed artists and GRAMMY-winning producers and nominees, such as Alex Metric, Michael Malih, David Morales, and Dot Major, to name a few. How does writing for someone else's vision differ from creating music under your own name?

Kosmo Kint: Love to all those guys. It’s different, but I still have an anchor to my soul. But yeah, some people have simpler themes. I try to be good with talking about life moments that I’ve learnt from, where some don’t need to go too deep, just fun. That’s how it differs; you’ll hear next year when my originals start to drop.

EG: There seems to be a growing appreciation for strong songwriting within electronic music. Do you feel the role of the vocalist and songwriter is evolving in today's dance music landscape?

Kosmo Kint: Not including Suno in the mix, yes. I feel like, thankfully, electronic music has won the battle against hip-hop. We have notable rappers showing up to dance venues, having fun trying to blend in, whether Quavo and Hugel , or recently Ye at CircoLoco watching Prospa do their thing. It’s all coming together in the vessel of dance and house; therefore, the songwriting aspect of soul, R&B, and pop is also making its way there, and for that I AM EXCITED!

EG: Live performance remains a major part of your identity. What does performing bring you that the studio can't, and how has your relationship with the stage evolved over the years?

Kosmo Kint: I feel like the rush of nerves and anxiety is really a too